Smart Embraces ED, Will Drop Gasoline-Powered Fortwo

Greg Fink

Feb 14, 2017

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Smart has an embarrassing problem, and it’s preventing the brand from satisfying the needs of U.S. and Canadian customers. As a result, Daimler’s city-car brand is shifting focus in these two North American markets and killing off combustion-engine variants of the Smart Fortwo coupe and convertible. Instead, the brand will limit U.S. and Canadian sales to just the battery-powered Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, or ED.

Although neither Fortwo powertrain has proved particularly popular among U.S. consumers (Smart sold just 5440 Fortwos and 771 Fortwo EDs last year), the brand believes its upcoming second-generation Fortwo ED provides a blueprint for its new, all-electric North American sales strategy. We can’t say we disagree, as the current Fortwo’s 89-hp turbocharged three-cylinder engine drinks a gallon of premium gasoline for every 33 miles traveled in the city and 39 miles traveled on the highway in its most efficient form—disappointing numbers given the Fortwo’s tiny dimensions. For comparison, the 76.2-inch-longer Honda Civic sedan is rated at 32 mpg city and 42 mpg highway when equipped with the optional 174-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine and CVT.

Meanwhile, the redesigned Smart Fortwo ED enters the North American market this summer and includes an 80-hp electric motor and a 17.6-kWh battery pack. Although not particularly quick and limited to a driving range of approximately 70 to 80 miles, our initial impressions of the new ED left us impressed, as we feel the model does a far better job of fulfilling the Fortwo’s mission as an urban runabout. Highlights of the EV include a healthy 118 lb-ft of torque from the ED’s electric motor, a relatively quick recharge rate that sees the battery pack go from zero to an 80 percent charge in 2.5 hours, and an expected starting price of just $23,000 before tax credits.

Despite the fact that production of the North America–spec, gasoline-powered Fortwo is slated to end in April, the decision reportedly will have no effect on Daimler’s Car2Go car-sharing service, which uses Smart Fortwos. A Car2Go representative informed us that the service is continuing to expand its fleet of gasoline-powered Fortwos in both the U.S. and Canada, replacing 451 older Fortwos with 453 new 2017 models, noting that the new cars will be in service for several years to come. So if you really want to drive a gasoline-powered Smart, you know where to get one.